The Jury Clan: Love Story(the short version)

How we met.....

Well it was April 15, 2005 and I was 17 (shhhh don't tell my daughter :) and Justin was 22 (eeek). We met in Hinesville, GA at a sectional youth rally. At the time I was living in Alabama (my home town) and our youth group had been asked to host the rally in Hinesville, and that's were I met my future husband.

It's not the best quality because I had to take a picture of a picture lol

After a fun time talking and hanging out at the local coffee shop after the service, I went back to Alabama with my youth group and Justin went back home to Blackshear. I had given him my email but that was all, I wasn't sure if I would ever hear from him, but little did I know there would be an email waiting for me once I returned from my trip:)

The relationship.....

Our relationship started out slow, mostly emails, then phone calls and a couple visit here and there(which we lived 8 1/2 hours away from each other the first 4 months of the relationship). August 2005 Justin moved from Blackshear to Senoia, GA (up around Atlanta) and we were then only 4 hours away, so the visit became more often.

I am a sucker for details and dates and keeping track with when something happened for the first time, so instead of giving blow by blow of our relationship I will list the most important dates to me!

Important Dates.....

December 24, 2005 Justin told me he loved me for the first time. In a very romantic way might I add. He gave me a small heart picture frame with his picture and a saying "Crazy in Love" and he started listing all the things he "loved" about me, ending with...."and Ashley I love YOU!!!" eeeekkkkkk can you say water works lol.

August 12, 2006 I moved to Barnsville, GA where I attended Gordon College and also lived only an hour away from Justin.

This was the month after I moved to Georgia

July 26, 2007 Justin had graduated with his Master's Degree that spring so he was wanting to move back home to Blackshear, GA. So we both packed up our things, I found a little house to rent and he moved back in with his parents.

The first Sunday at church after the big move

February 1, 2008 Justin put in an offer on a house(which at the time I didn't know)

February 15, 2008 Justin proposed to me on Jekyll Island (which by the way is where we had our first date and had also spent every Valentine's day. Ok, ok, I will elaborate on this part.

Justin had sent flowers, balloons, chocolate and a card to me at work on Thursday Feb 14, and the card said "there is much more to come". So I had an idea that he maybe planning something but wasn't sure what. He had came by my house on that Friday to pick up my picnic basket that I had and said just in case we cant get in a restaurant. Well he came by and picked me up later that evening an took me to Black Beard's Seafood Restaurant, where he did have a reservation for a special table with an ocean view. Dinner was amazing! Afterwards we went walking on the beach and he brought along the basket, by this time I was getting curious. He said why don't we sit, so he opened up the basket(which he wouldn't let me look inside) and started laying out a blanket, then candles, then strawberries, cheese-n-crackers and sparkling white grape juice(we don't drink, ;)). We sat down and enjoyed our after dinner snack and then he brought out a photo album. (he had previously gotten me one for my birthday, with pictures of us in it) So I opened it and started looking at the pictures and the sayings he had wrote beside them. Eventually I got to a page where it looked like he wrote in Spanish and then French and then another language. Once I got to the end he finally wrote in English what he had, hand written now, in 13 different languages, I Love You, Will You Marry ME? I immediately started crying and said yes. I thought that was the sweetest proposal, but then again I'm supposed to aren't I?!?! :)